To recap: I had been toying with attending one of Paul Rodgers Free Spirit gigs featuring Deborah Bonham and co. I cannot make the Royal Albert Hall date so I was looking at either Oxford or Leicester. As I was able to get the bus from Bedford through to Oxford, that date became the most feasible and at short notice I decided to go for that option and stay over.

I’m very glad I made that decision…

Even aside from the astonishing unexpected bonus of witnessing three of the world’s premier rock vocalists of all time sharing the same stage, it was a fantastic gig.

1pm Sunday May 14 I boarded the bus bound for Oxford via Milton Keynes. It struck me the last time I ventured out to a gig on a Sunday afternoon to stay over was nearly ten years ago for the Ahmet 02 reunion.

Once in Oxford there was some stress to deal with when my booking for the hotel I was staying it did not go at all smoothly.I won’t go into detail but it just about got sorted after some anxious phone calls – I was therefore in need of a drink when I met with my good friend Krys Jantzen at the pub over the road from the New Theatre venue – the same venue I saw Robert Plant perform at on his 1983 and 1988 UK tours.

Watching Spurs spirited 2-1 win over Man United in their final match at White Hart Lane on the big screen in the pub put me right back on track and the prospect of the night’s entertainment was beginning to get very exciting.

Over at the venue, we spoke to a guy who had seen Free here in 1971. The long standing love for this band was more than evident as the predictably mature audience gathered for the show -there was a real friendly vibe about it all. The merchandise stall was doing some very good business – sales of which were aiding the Willows Animal Sanctuary and Assisted Therapy Unit charity – I saw one lady purchase a guitar signed by Paul Rodgers for a cool £500.

A word about the official programme – I’ve shied away for purchasing programmes at gigs in recent years as invariably they overly expensive and made up of a few stock photos – not so the Paul Rodgers programme – a real top class affair, expertly put together and designed by Hugh Gilmour who was sat near me. It’s adorned by pages of retro Free cuttings from the music press of the day and it was good to see the original Melody Maker review from when Free performed in Bedford in late 1970 (I was a bit too young to attend that one!). It was well worth the £10 asking rice for sure.

The venue also has a great basement bar where a pianist was playing instrumental piano versions of rock classics such as Bowie’s Life On Mars and Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now. It was good to meet up with some TBL people including Ian Gould and David Cunningham. I briefly spoke to Pete Bullick who told me the tour had been going very well. I had a really excellent view in the stalls in row P.

Deborah Bonham opened the show accompanied by Doug Boyle on a variety of guitars – acoustic and electric. The stark arrangements really emphasized the depth of pure feeling Deb brings to her vocal delivery. There was no more greater example of that than on the gut wrenching emotion she drew from the performance of I Need Love.

Doug was the perfect sideman adding an intricate accompaniment that demonstrated his impressive virtuosity – some of his his deft acoustic paying echoed his work on Lairs Dance that superb track from Robert Plant’s Manic Nirvana album. Deb took time to explain about the Willows Animal Sanctuary and Assisted Therapy Unit charity which the tour is supporting. As ever, the warmth from this lady’s on stage presence left us all with a pleasing afterglow. Put simply, Deborah Bonham brings honesty and sensitivity to every song she performs.

In the bar during the interval there had been some rumours going around of special guests – as there always are on such occasions. The excitement was definitely mounting but I put such rumours aside to enjoy the main attraction –and what an attraction it was.

From the moment Paul Rodgers stomped onstage ably supported by the Deborah Bonham Band and romped into Little Bit Of Love, this was always going to be some night. The singer delved into the rich back catalogue of a band who are still loved with a fiery devotion. His upbeat persona added to the atmosphere as he really looked to be enjoying every minute. His vocal ability is just awe inspiring. He sounded, looked and performed like a true rock colossus.

Ride On Pony, Songs Of Yesterday, Be My Friend, I’m A Mover, Mr Big, The Hunter and more – all performed with all the enthusiasm that the young Rodgers displayed those nights in Sunderland and Croydon back in the day when some of these songs were recorded for the classic Free Live album.

My Brother Jake, led by Gerard Louis’ keyboards was a glorious stand out for me as Paul effortlessly worked the crowd at the song’s close. Amongst the more familiar material it was good to hear some lesser known gems such as Soon I Will Be Gone and Love You So from Free’s Highway album.

As for Pete Bullick – what a revelation he is in this role. I’ve long since been an admirer of his playing but he really came into his own here – bringing the spirit of Paul Kossoff alive and happening with some simply scintillating guitar work –inspiring Paul to comment ‘’Oh Pete has done it again’ ’as he delivered yet another inspired solo from his Gibson Les Paul. He has that bitter sweet tone that Koss achieved right down on pat – Be My Friend being one of many of Pete’s outstanding performances.

Then it happened. Paul introduced some special guests – on walked Robert Plant and Brian Johnson.

Pic of Brian and Robert by Krys Janzen for TBL

This was the cue for your TBL editor to defy his 60 years by making a Usain Bolt like sprint from row P to right down the front to catch this little bit of history.

Flipping heck or words to that effect!

That old Barrett Strong R and B stomper Money (That’s What I Want) as performed by Zep in Frankfurt in 1980 – I was lucky enough to be at that one too, was the chosen song for this unique history making three way vocal performance.

Brian sang with real conviction and as for Robert – he was absolutely loving it, hamming it up with those family poses (even a Knebworth like mic held aloft pose near the drum riser) checking into some Hoochie Coochie Man and Fortune Teller lyrics and blowing a mean harp. As Paul put it earlier ‘’What fun we are having’’.

The two guests left the stage after embracing with Paul happy and smiling. This was of course a significant sighting of Brian on stage as it was his first appearance since his hearing problems had forced him to leave AC/DC.

Pete Bullick revealed that Brian had not intended to perform but had got so enthusiastic about watching Deb and Paul he could not resist a blow. Here’s hoping it prompts further on stage activity for the legendary singer. It’s worth noting that Brian’s affinity with Robert has been spurred by the recent recording with Robert for the A Life On the Road series of programmes for Sky Arts due to be aired soon.

Back in the New Theatre the place was in a state of pandemonium. It really was one of those ”’Pinch me I’m dreaming” moments. Just sensational…my pic above captures the action as I watched it unfold in complete wonder and awe..

What was also really great was after this amazing interlude, the gig did not become dwarfed by the surprise guests, it only enhanced the feel good factor as All Right Now and a celebratory Wishing Well brought the proceedings to a glorious end.

There was a real afterglow in the foyer as the lucky attendees made their way out of the venue. Seeing had indeed been believing once again. Krys and I adjoined to the nearby O’ Neil’s bar to reflect on it all. Predictably, social media was already alive and kicking with initial postings of this very special night. We glanced over to the venue knowing that what we had just witnessed in this very fine building was about to have massive rock media repercussions throughout the globe.

Summary: This was a masterclass in how to present the catalogue of one of the all time great bands and make these seminal songs live again in the heart and souls of every single person in the venue.

The spirt of Free is alive and well and in very good hands indeed.

And the two special guests were not too bad either…

What a night…simply life affirming. It was an absolute privilege to be there…

Dave Lewis – May 15, 2017

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Led Zeppelin News Update:In conjunction with the Led Zep news site, each week I will be re- producing highlights from their weekly email update news summary. This goes out every Sunday. Sign up details are below. Many thanks to James Cook.

A new book, “Uncommon People,” by author David Hepworth includes some Led Zeppelin content. The Daily Mail published an article about the book, which includes a story about Robert Plant learning about Jimmy Page and Roy Harper’s collaboration in an issue of Farmers Weekly. Hepworth is best known for his book “1971 – Never a Dull Moment: Rock’s Golden Year.”

Royal Blood said in a new interview that Jimmy Page attended drummer Ben Thatcher’s birthday dinner and ate apple crumble with him. See the full interview here, with the Page comments at the 3:20 mark.

Robert Plant

Robert Plant was photographed filming with former AC/DC singer Brian Johnson for an upcoming episode of Johnson’s Sky Arts show “Brian Johnson’s A Life On The Road.” The episode about Plant will air on Sky Arts on June 2. Read our full report on the episode here.

May 11 marked one month since Robert Plant’s website was updated to a black page with the words “Any time now…” in white text. Since then there have been no updates. It’s expected to be a teaser for Plant’s upcoming solo album.

Robert Plant was photographed recently attending a Wolverhampton Wanderers football game. See the photo here.

Robert Plant was spotted in California dining in the same restaurant as Steve Carell on May 4.

Upcoming events:

May 19 – The new album by Darrel Higham, which features Robert Plant, will be released.May 23 – A photo of Jimmy Page appears in the new photo book by Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, which will be released today.May 27 – Unrestored footage of Led Zeppelin performing at the Royal Albert Hall in 1970 will be screened there as part of an event about the director Peter Whitehead.Late May/Early June – The March 21, 1975 Seattle soundboard bootleg “Deus Ex Machina” is rumoured to be released around this time.June 2 – Robert Plant will be interviewed on “Brian Johnson’s Life On The Road” on Sky Arts.June 23 – John Paul Jones will perform at the Sun Station Vadsø festival in Norway.June 24 – John Paul Jones will perform at the Sun Station Vadsø festival in Norway.Mid-September – The new Black Country Communion album, which will feature Jason Bonham, is due to be released.

40 years ago today, I awoke with the day’s mission being to hook up with the members of Led Zeppelin – and incredibly that is exactly what happened.

As this story that appeared in TBL issue 18 explains, any plans to actually go out and see them perform live in America had been thwarted by a serious lack of funds. My then wages of £22 per week earned working on the record and tapes department at WH Smith in Bedford was never going to get me to Madison Square Garden.

As a mad keen fan of just 20 years old, I knew there had to be another way to see them. With invaluable help from Unity McClean at the Swan Song office, I hatched a plan to go to Heathrow Airport to wave them off as they began the second leg of the tour.

I got the idea from all those newsreel films of The Beatles being waved off from airports by loads of screaming girls. I did not envisage too many screaming girls being there but I did think it was a relatively feasible way of seeing them.

Unity very kindly supplied me with the timings and so it was on Tuesday May 17, I set off from Bedford to achieve my quest. I stopped off at the Swan Song office to catch up with Unity. I even got involved in running a few errands – not uncommon whenever I visited. I was dispatched to the local Kings Road newsagent to buy copies of the first day’s edition of the Evening Standard. This was to check that they had carried an apology for a mistaken identity story involving a false Robert Plant story they had run with the previous day.

Unity was well pleased to find it in there and immediately biked over a copy to Peter Grant. Back in the office Unity gave me various photos to get signed. I then took the tube to Hatton Cross and boarded a bus from there to get to the terminal. Back then there was no direct tube line into Heathrow.

I arrived at Heathrow just after 4pm. A Welsh fan Russ Rees and a couple of friends were there. Outside the main doors John Bonham was holding court by one of the limos chatting to Richard Cole. John Paul Jones arrived wearing a union jack cardigan – it was the Queen’s Silver Jubilee year and patriotism was well high. Unity later told me Jonesy had laughed when he had seen the pics I took as the jacket had fallen to pieces soon after.

Robert kept up the royal theme wearing a badge of the Queen. Robert arrived soon after looking every inch the rock god. The first photo shows me following him across the road -Robert carrying his own luggage – he only had to ask and I’ve gladly helped him out !

The mood was very upbeat and friendly. I talked to Robert about how the tour was going and he relayed how much they were enjoying it. A roadie came in on the conversation and Robert mentioned how much he liked Maria Muldaur’s Midnight At The Oasis song.

Robert and JPJ were more than happy to sign my photos and pose for a pic. I’m carrying the photos I took along and look at those badges – dinner plate size! I’m wearing the jacket I regularly wore for work. I look as proud as a peacock and that’s exactly how I felt. It was just incredible to be in their company – my idols right next to me!

Robert kept on joking about Jimmy’s whereabouts as he was running late. ”Where’s Patti Page ”? he kept repeating. Jimmy arrived in a Range Rover driven by his driver Rick Hobbs. He looked a little unsteady in a white suit but soon began joking and chatting with the others. I chatted to him for a couple of minutes.

I finally left them as their flight was called around 6pm. it was an absolutely thrilling experience and I made my way back to Bedford in something of a daze. I was due to play in a Wallbangers football match that night but arrived too late -not that it mattered too much as we won 11-0!

The next day I relayed these tales to my Mum and Dad and then girlfriend Fiona. In the morning I was back behind the counter selling records at WH Smith while Led Zeppelin took to the stage in Birmingham Alabama. There’s some amazing cine film of that gig and when I watch it I always marvel at the fact that I was one of the last people to talk to them in England before they left for yet another trail blazing tour of America.

Exactly two years to the day of the first Earls Court concert, I had experienced yet another incredible occasion in their company. Like all these occasions, it enhanced my enthusiasm to follow this group and it’s music with increasing passion love and devotion.

40 years on from that remarkable experience, that passion love and devotion remains ever strong….and that afternoon in Heathrow Airport is a memory that shines ever brightly…

May 17th a dull rainy Saturday. Left Bedford around 4pm on the train and met then girlfriend Fiona in London for the long awaited return. I’d been counting the days down since March and now here we were hours from seeing and believing. We were inside the arena from around 7pm and the next hour was a slow one – I’d brought a programme and t -shirt. The programme with the illuminating text from Tony Palmer really whetted the appetite and had some amazing photos.

Finally when the stage burst into action following Bob Harris’s intro just after 8pm, well it was the moment my life switched into colour after the previous 18 years had been viewed in grainy black and white.

We had a good view high up to the right looking down towards Jimmy’s side. They were a little nervous and it was evident Jimmy was having lead trouble in Rock And Roll, but once they settled in it was all and more I’d hoped for. The video screen high above the stage was something I’d never seen at a gig before and I found myself gazing in awe at the memorable images flashing on screen- and wishing it was being broadcast on TV. I’d played Physical Gaffitti non stop since it had come out so seeing In My Time, Kashmir and Trampled played live was just awe inspiring. Tangerine was an unexpected treat as was the whole acoustic interlude. Having no idea what the set list would be only added to the pure wonderment of seeing Led Zeppelin live before my very eyes.

Initial opening night impressions:

John Bonham’s incredible drum sound, Robert’s warm rapport with the crowd and the way he totally dominated the stage.. After this somewhat shaky start they quickly regained confidence and the new numbers from Physical Graffiti, In My Time Of Dying and Kashmir set the standard. The latter’s Eastern-sounding riff rose into a thick, booming sound that reverberated throughout the entire arena. As the tapes of the shows so vividly reveal, that booming sound was very much an Earls Court characteristic, a sound so solid that when Page laid down a chord you could practically lean on it.

The marathon Dazed and the laser lights shooting through Jimmy’s violin bow. By the evening’s end the early nerves had all but evaporated, to be replaced by a relaxed atmosphere which found JPJ playfully offering a few bars of The Teddy Bear’s Picnic as Robert introduced ‘Stairway To Heaven. Plant was now regularly adding the line “That’s all we got” to the final verse prior to Page’s solo. Whole Lotta Love featured a few riffs from The Crunge prior to Jimmy’s theremin battle. An unsurprisingly nervous start but with plenty to build on.

We got back to Bedford at 2am and I was already counting down the hours to when we would be back in their company again. There were just 18 hours to tick off.

The Led Zeppelin Earls Court experience was underway…and boy life was good…

Dave Lewis – May 17,2017

“Apart from The Who and The Stones I can’t think of many bands who could have put on anything like it. During moments like Trampled Underfoot it seemed the whole stage was just going to fall forward and crush everybody in the hall.” Charles Shaar Murray, New Musical Express.

In the morning I’d got the Sunday Observer with the colour suppelment magazine with that Tony Palmer feature in.

”Led Zeppelin bigger than The Beatles?” proclaimed the front cover. What a compliment…and a rightful accolade.

On the train at 5pm in the afternoon with fellow fan Nic and his girlfriend.

Hung outside Earls Court amongst the the programme sellers and poster stalls before the show -bought a bootleg badge which was as big as a dinner plate. Wore it with pride for years!

The second night saw them settled into the run. Over The Hills And Far Away developed into an early set template on each successive night. Loaded with rock steady authority, with Page at his most spontaneous, supplemented by Bonham and Jones holding down the bottom line, and hinting at the rhythmic tempos they would develop for Candy Store Rock on the Presence album. Page’s double-neck guitar poses during The Song Remains The Same and would give the attendant photographers plenty of famous images while The Rain Song saw the guitarist draped in blue light, casting another memorable portrait, a solitary figure in the spotlight ringing out some sweet familiar notes. Add to that an intensive and incessant In My Time Of Dying (Plant’s ”I must have done somebody good” line resounded in my ears all the way home).

The outstanding performance of May 18, though, was No Quarter as immortalised on the subsequent Red Devil vinyl bootleg. Never before had JPJ immersed himself in this showpiece with such subtlety and grace, the defining moment being the point where he came out of the classical sequence, at around 3mins 45, to play a cluster of descending notes that rippled from the grand piano and into the Earls Court air.

The acoustic section found Plant at his loquacious best, unfolding tales of the origins of Going To California (“So we went to Wales and when we got there we wrote songs about California”) and That’s The Way (“So we were sitting on a grassy bank looking across the unspoiled countryside”). Dazed And Confused was also developing its own unique Earls Court quality. Page’s delicate, melodic guitar passages leading into Woodstock remain an evocative reminder of the times that still brings on the chill every time I hear the tape 40 years on.

During Whole Lotta Love they kicked into the rhythm of The Crunge as they had done briefly the previous night but now further developed Plant’s echoed “I’m just trying to find the bridge” lines. A crunching Black Dog brought show number two to a close after some 195 minutes on stage.

We just managed to get the last train back and in for 2.30pm. Two down and incredibly…three still to go!

Dave Lewis – May 17, 2017

“In six and a half years Led Zeppelin have grown to be the biggest band in the land and judging by the excellence of their performance at Earls Court, one of, if not THE most exiting live act in the world. I guess I came on the right night. It’s difficult to describe the magic or atmosphere of that Sunday. It was one of those gigs that will remain scarred on my brain forever.” Pete Makowski, Sounds.

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Five Glorious Nights – Led Zeppelin at Earls Court May 1975:

SPECIAL LIMITED OFFER!

With the 42nd anniversary upon us, may I take this opportunity to mention that this limited edition deluxe book published by Rufus Stone Limited Editions is still available.

If you have yet to invest…now is the perfect time..

For a limited period, the book is available at the discounted price of just £80 including postage to anywhere in the world! A saving of some £30 on the normal price.

Drawn from over 350 images sourced from various contact sheets provided by publisher Mark Smith, and with the assistance of Ross Halfin as associate picture editor, the best photos possible have been selected.

Much more than a mere book of photos, the intention is to capture the atmosphere of the five Earls Court shows through these startling images – sequenced and presented in a way that unfolds the whole saga of this remarkable series of concerts – to be viewed and enjoyed time and time again.

Five Glorious Nights at Earls Court in May 1975 is a superbly presented unique visual record of Led Zeppelin in their absolute prime – and unitl June 1 on offer for a bargain price!

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Happy 70tth birthday Chris Charlesworth:

Birthday wishes go out to Chris Charlesworth who was 70 years young yesterday. Chris is well known for his chronicling of Zep and many others during his years on the Melody Maker. I’ve also worked with him on many of my Zep book in his former role as editor in chief at Omnibus Press. In his Omnibus Press consulting role he is editing the Evenings With LZ book project which I am co -writing with Mike Tremaglio. Over the years, Chris has been a great support to me and all things TBL and I have a lot to thank him for. A fantastic writer and all round top man – check out his excellent blog Just Backdated at this link

Just when you think you might have seen it all, a night like last Sunday comes along…

The events at the New Theatre Oxford can take up their rightful place right up there with other such memorable unexpected life affirming occasions I’ve been lucky enough to witness such as Robert at Leicester University in 1988, Wearing And Tearing at Knebworth 1990, Page & Plant at Buxton 1994, The Priory Of Brion in a tent in 1999, Jimmy at the Royal Albert Hall in 2002 to name but a few. Here’s a pic with Krys Jantzen and David Cunningham after the show with the fabled set list of an amazing night.

It really was dreamtime and coming down has not been easy…

Before all that, there were Friday treats at the Vinyl Barn – the acquisitions included Emerson Lake & Palmer Brain Salad Surgery original Uk Manticore pressing with gate fold sleeve front and inserts and George Harrison’s underrated Thirty Three & a Third album on UK Dark Horse Records plus Be Bop Deluxe At The BBC 1974 – 1978 four CD set.

I haven’t bought Q magazine for a good while but this issue was irresistible – it features a fantastic Paul Weller feature and interview – the man talks a great game – his vision to move forward musically on his terms is on the same wavelength as Robert Plant …after 40 years, Paul Weller is still an absolute class act…one of the all time greats in my book…

On the playlist here – the new Paul Weller album A Kind Revolution plus a copy of the My Brother Jake single at the Vinyl Barn recently – the B side Only My Soul is a beauty. The Free theme has continued with the purchase of a 5 Classic Albums box set CD package of the Free/Fire And Water/Highway/Free At Last and Heartbreaker albums. David Cunningham spotted this one in Fopp on Sunday and I nipped in there to search one out as I went to get the bus home on Monday morning. A bargain at £10.

Today our thoughts are also with Janet’s late Dad Ken as it would have been his birthday and on Friday, the pair of us here plus Adam at UNI in Eastbourne and Sam in Sydney Australia will be collectively reflecting and thinking of Janet’s Mum the late lovely Betty even more than we normally do – as it will be one year to the day that she passed on.

Amongst countless heart warming memories, the words she often spoke to me after I visited her following a record fair or Vinyl Barn morning will strongly resonate -”Did you get any bargains?”

Yeah. Brian Johnson and Robert Plant sharing a stage – just wonderful to see. Hope they do it again.

# 22 May 2017 at 8:55 am

Mark Williams said:

Dave,really pleased you were actually at Oxford to witness that,what a night ! Our friends Ian & Sylvie were also there and were over the moon too !

Seems rarer these days for bands to have ‘special guests’ get up and join them (usually because of larger scale uniform concert production) but so glad to see Paul do this with Robert & fellow Geordie Brian. Great stuff !